Kingdom Hearts: The Fading Light
by MarkusCardenal
Summary: My first story, set twenty-two years after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. Features a whole new set of characters but will have returning characters from all previous games just older : Please comment etc. etc. Hope you like.


Kingdom Hearts: The Fading Light

Part One

Chapter One: Awakening

Where… Where am I?

Am I… falling? Or sinking?

Is this a dream…? Or reality?

Falling through a sea of overwhelming dark, the sixteen year old boy couldn't help but repeat these questions over and over within the realm of his mind. His hands reached upwards as though trying to grab the light that remained out of his reach no matter how hard he tried to reach it. His stunning blue eyes, filled with courage and hope, always looking upwards through the veil of black water that protected the light from his grasp. His long, dark brown, spiky hair with a slight red tint covered his handsome, boyish face as his slim body fell downwards towards whatever seemed to be calling him.

Somehow he knew he was about to reach something and moved himself into a standing position just as his feet touched something solid. As soon as both of his feet touched the strange floor, bright light seemed to erupt from it, removing the veil that covered it to reveal an amazingly large circular platform with an image, which he couldn't tell what it was.

_Don't be afraid. _A voice called out within his mind, at first he didn't realise it, looking around for the source of the voice worriedly before realizing it was in his own head. _Even within the darkest depths, there is always a light to guide you. _As the voice finished, a doorway appeared in front of him, twice his own height and as wide as his arms could stretch. The boy rushed to it and pulled on the handles, trying futilely to open it. He gave up quickly, huffing and kicking the edge of the door in frustration.

_You must choose how you will act before the door will open. Will you defend those you love, acting as a shield for their burdens? _As he said this a pedestal suddenly appeared several metres behind him, holding a large shield with a strange symbol he was sure he recognised on it. He walked up to the pedestal, reaching out with soft, tentative fingers before pulling it away. _Will you learn how to control your inner most wisdom? _Once again, as the voice finished, another pedestal emerged, this time bearing a strange staff with the same symbol the boy was sure he recognized. He didn't move his time however, for he was not sure of anything that was happening around him. _Or will you master your strength to defeat those who wish those you love harm? _As these final words were said, a final pedestal appeared, this one more majestic than the others but somehow at the same time seemed exactly alike the others. Upon it was a simple sword, etched into the hilt with the same symbol as the others.

_Now, choose the path you will take, but be warned, once taken, the path you choose will forever judge how your proceed._ And with that, the voice went silent, leaving the boy to ponder on what he would choose. It was easy for him to choose however, he would defend his friends by defeating whatever enemy would dare go against them. His feet took himself over to the blade and without hesitation his hand went forward, grasping the hilt of the sword. The second his fingers curled themselves around it's hilt, the pedestals and weapons disappeared, leaving him with nothing once more. Not even the blade he had chosen.

_You made a wise choice, the same as him… Now step forward and enter through the doorway, for your story now begins. _The boy listened carefully to the strange voice's words and stepped towards the door, his hands reaching forwards more confidently now as they grasped the handles and pulled, opening the door with ease. As the door opened, a bright light emerged from within it, engulfing him. As the light faded and he regained his vision, he noticed he was in a completely different place, this time the floor was yellow instead of blue but the same pictures from last time remained, at least from what he could tell for he could still not see them clearly due to their sheer size.

_Always remember, that even in the greatest of all light, there will always be darkness. And if there is always darkness, there will always be enemies you must face. Be careful! There's one right behind you! _The boy spun on his feet, his eyes widened as a small black puddle on the floor began to rise into the shape of a strange creature. It looked at the boy as though it were confused before jumping high into the air towards him. He nimbly jumped backed but lost his footing somehow and stumbled backwards onto the floor. _Fight back! Find the strength within you and fight! _The boy painfully got back onto his feet, suddenly feeling a tremendous strength inside him, he reached into himself for it and suddenly felt as though he knew what to do.

Throwing his hand backwards, a bright light emanated from his palm as the blade he chose earlier seemed to appear from thin air. The strange creature jumped again but this time the boy was ready. Clumsily he swung the blade in an upwards arc as the creature began to fall from it's jumping attack. The blade seemed to enter the creatures body but as it did so it seemed to disappear in a puff of black smoke. Even the small exertion of defending himself seemed to drain what little energy he had. _Not bad! You might not do too bad after all! But be careful, ya never know when more'll pop out so take care!_

The voice then stopped once more and the boy lowered his blade till the tip touched the solid floor. However as the tip did so, the platform cracked, shocking the boy and making him jump back. The force from the landing however caused further cracks to appear and suddenly the platform shattered, causing the boy to fall. It wasn't long however until he reached another solid platform, this time the flooring was blue and he managed to land on his feet, barely hurting himself in the process. His heavy breathing was loud in his ears as he panted tiredly from the physical exertion he was being forced to suffer.

His footsteps echoed as he walked forwards, hoping to find someway of getting out of here. As he finally reached the centre of the platform, another black puddle suddenly appeared in front of him, his blade at the ready, he waited for another strange creature to arrive. However the puddle just seemed to get bigger and bigger until it covered almost the entire platform. Just as the final blue colour of the platform was gone, the creatures began to arrive in force, at first there were only a few of them, but soon enough more and more arrived until almost half the platform was covered in them and the boy was being forced to back away. His feet reached the edge of the platform and he quickly glanced behind him, down into what he could only assume to be something reminiscent of a bottomless pit. He readied the blade that he had gotten as the first of the creatures attacked, his blade cut through the easily as though they were simply puffs of black smoke but the amount of them began to overwhelm him as his blows became slower and weaker to the point where many of them were not defeated in the first blow. A creature jumped at him but his blade was too slow, the creature landed on his back and the sheer weight of it was staggering.

More jumped onto the boy and soon enough the weight forced him to fall to one knee, the blade falling from his grasp.

_It's okay._

The boy finally fell to the ground, more of the creatures swarming on top of his body.

_Ya won't be beaten here. I can help ya this one time, but next time it'll be up to you._

As the final words were said, the creatures finally covered his entire body, only his hand reaching out and beyond, grasping the air for some sort of hand to pull on. Suddenly however his entire being began to glow and he was suddenly gone.

"Skye!" A young female voice called out as Skye woke up from his slumber. "Hey Skye! Wake up will ya? We're going home!" The young teen finally opened his eyes, realizing his head was leaning on a desk, his arms acting like a pillow. Standing over him was a blonde haired girl with emerald eyes. She wore a plain white shirt with a blue chequered tie and a simple skirt with the same design. The top of her shirt was undone and her tie was loosened, as though she had just worked a hard day. He finally leant up, yawning as he did so and stretching his arms. He too was wearing a similar sort of clothing but with baggy black trousers. "About time sleepyhead, c'mon we gotta go. Lamont is waiting for us and you know how impatient he can be."

"Gimme a minute will ya Mae?" Skye replied, his light-hearted voice showing that his annoyance was fake. He stood up from his chair and reached for his bag, slinging it across his shoulder before smirking at Mae. "Thanks for the wake-up call, you sure know how to do 'em." Mae flashed a grin, picking up her own bag and putting it on her back. She quickly tied her hair back into a ponytail and turned on her feet, walking to the door with Skye by her side.

"You looked like you were having a nightmare, thought you'd never wake up." She said, grinning at him jokingly. Suddenly the memory of the "dream" returned to Skye and he stopped. "Something wrong?" Mae asked him.

"It felt so… real." Skye muttered to himself, he quickly shook his head, brushing it off. "Just a dream! Nothin' to worry about." He winked cheekily and the pair left. "So, Lamont's waiting for us huh? The usual spot?"

"Of course, where else would he meet us? C'mon, I wanna get there early so we have more time. Just try to do me a favour and don't fight this time."

He grinned cheekily at her, chuckling. "Who? Me?"


End file.
